Suction cleaner having improved handle and filter bag mounting



Aug. 8, 1967 1., J. S ZABO ETAL 3,334,372

SUCTION CLEANER HAVING IMPROVED HANDLE AND FILTER BAG MOUNTING FiledJune 18, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. l 7 ll] INVENTORS LOUIS I SZABO BYERNEST R. SCOTT ATTORNEY Aug-y 3, 1967 L. J. SZABO ETAL 3,334,372

SUCTION CLEANER HAVING IMPROVED HANDLE AND FlL'IER BAG MOUNTING FiledJune 18. 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS LOUIS J. SZABO ERNEST R. SCOTTlz w/zi w ATTOR NEY g 1967 J. SZABO ETAL 3,334,372

SUCTION CLEANER HAVING IMPROVED HANDLE AND FILTER BAG MOUNTING FiledJune 18. 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS LOUIS .T. SZABO ERNEST R. SCOTTATTOR N EY United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A uniquesingle spring construction for selectively holding a vacuum cleanerhandle and for detachably securing a filter bag to the vacuum cleaner.One end of the spring urges a handle release latch into engagement withnotches formed on the handle, while the other end of the spring is usedto detachably hold a filter bag coupling.

This invention relates to suction cleaners of the type widely used inresidences to clean rugs and floors and, more particularly, to animprovement in the portion thereof for mounting the propelling handlefor the cleaner body and the filter bag.

In most suction cleaners heretofore employed, particularly of theso-called upright type, the usual cleaner body is ambulatory andincludes a propelling handle which is pivoted to the body selectively tovarious angular inclinations to suit the needs of the operator during acleaning operation. The arrangement usually includes a mechanism forretaining the propelling handle in a vertical position relative to thebody, and release means selectively operated to permit adjustment of theinclination of the handle from the vertical to intermediate inclinationsdown to a horizontal disposition. The means for mounting the propellinghandle and permitting selective control of its inclination relative tothe body is. usually a separate assembly that includes a spring-biasedhandle positioning element and a manual release therefor. Most suctioncleaners heretofore employed, particularly of the upright type, alsoinclude an external filter bag which is .detachably coupled to anexhaust outlet in the cleaner body. For this purpose, there is usuallyemployed a separate coupling assembly for detachably connecting thefilter bag to the body. This assembly ordinarily comprises a pluralityof elements including cooperating coupling portions on the body and bag,and a spring-biased latch and mounting therefor.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved suction cleanerhaving improved means which functions to both pivotally mount thepropelling handle to the body and permit selective control of the handleposition, and to detachably secure a filter bag to the body, which meansis highly economical, in that it comprises a single assembly thatreplaces two prior assemblies; is simply constructed, and eliminatesmany parts which were heretofore required, while retaining theirfunction.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved vacuumcleaner as set forth in the precedingparagraph wherein a multifunctionbiasing element is provided which functions both to control thepositioning of the propelling handle, and to control filter bagcoupling.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improvedvacuum cleaner as set forth above wherein the selective positioning ofthe propelling handle and the selective attachment or removal of thefilter bag may be separately and independently performed without alfect-"mg each other.

body, and an exhaust duct formed in the body, a unitary .inclinablypositioning propelling handle mounted on the 3,334,372 Patented Aug. 8,1967 multifunction biasing means having a portion for retaining thepropelling handle in the position to which it is adjusted, and anotherportion for releasably securing a filter bag to the body, and wherein,said element is readily mounted in the suction cleaner, is seated by itsown generated pressure and is readily removable.

The above and other objects and further details of that which we believeto be novel and our invention will be clear from the followingdescription and claims taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suction cleaner embodying theinvention showing a side, rear and top of the vacuum cleaner body, witha portion of the propelling handle connected to the body and a portionof the filter bag connected to the body, and related elementsillustrated;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on ahorizontal plane passing through line 22 of FIG. 1, with portions of thetop of the body broken away to show internal parts thereof;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of FIG. 2showing the propelling handle inclined at an intermediate position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of FIG. 3, butshowing the filter bag partially detached from the body, and

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the FIG. 1 cleaner showing theexhaust portion of the cleaner body with the .filter bag removed.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is illustrated a suctioncleaner of the upright type essentially comprising an ambulatory body B,a propelling handle H pivotally secured to the body, and a filter bag Fdetachably secured to the body. The body B comprises a main frame 10which may be conveniently formed of a casting of metal or the like, anda hood 12 which are secured to form an enclosure. To render the body Bambulatory, a

plurality of wheels 14 are provided and appropriately mounted on themain frame 10. A resilient bumper 1-6 is mounted about the skirt of themain frame to prevent damage to furniture and other articles with whichthe suction cleaner body may come into contact during a cleaningoperation. The main frame 10 and hood 12 cooperate to form an enclosurewhich houses the customary electric motor and suction fan means, whichare not illustrated as they may take a known form. The lower wall at thefront of the main frame 10 is formed with a nozzle opening which is alsonot shown as it may be of conventional form. The body B may be providedwith means for raising and lowering the lower wall of the frame 10relative to a horizontal surface to elfe'ct different cleaningcharacteristics; for the purpose of making such adjustments, anadjusting lever 18 protrudes above the main frame 10 through an opening20 formed therein.

The suction cleaner structure described thus far may be considered abackground setting for the invention, which resides in the means formounting and controlling the handle H and the filter bag F in thedesired manner. The main frame 10 includes a forwardly sloping rear wall22 having an exhaust port 24 formed centrally thereof. As can best beseen in FIG. 5, exhaust port 24 is shaped as a parallelogram withparallel horizontal upper and top sides, and parallel inclined lateralsides. Exhaust port 24 is surrounded by a face rim portion 26 which ispart of the rear wall 22 and defined in outline by L-shaped ridges 27.Port 24 constitutes the termination of an exhaust duct 28 Which extendswithin the body B internally to the usual suction chamber therein, andconstitutes the usual exhaust outlet therefor. For purposes ofunderstanding the present invention, it should be understood that whenthe suction cleaner is operated fora normal cleaning operation, a flowof air is induced through the nozzle in the main frame 10,

through the suction chamber and out the exhaust duct 28 and exhaust port24, and into the filter bag F, as indicated by the schematic arrows inFIG. 3. The main frame adjacent rear wall 22 includes a bottom wallportion 30 to which is secured a retaining plate 32 which assists inmounting the axle 34 for the rear wheels 14. Screw fasteners 36 passthrough openings in the retainer plate 32 and are anchored in tappedopenings in the bottom wall portion 30 to mount the retainer plate.Retainer plate 32 has an upwardly bent rearward lip 38 that extendshorizontally for approximately the width of the exhaust port 24 and isdisposed adjacent to but rearwardly spaced from the lower side thereof.As can best be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lip 38- cooperates with theportion of face 26 adjacent the lower wall of exhaust port 24 to form ahorizontally extending channel which is adapted to receive a portion ofa flange on the filter bag coupling 40.

The filter bag F may be of any known type, and as illustrated includesan outer permanent "bag portion 42 made of a durable material, and aninner disposable bag portion 44 made of an expendable material. Theassembled bags 42, 44 are detachably secured at their adjacentnecked-down opened ends in a peripheral groove 46 formed in the coupling40 and retained therein in any convenient known manner. The coupling 40is a hollow rigid member and also includes a peripheral groove 48 whichis forwardly spaced from the peripheral groove 46. In the forward face50 of the coupling 40 there is formed a somewhat generally rectangulargroove 52 about the similarly generally rectangular opening 54 thatextends through the coupling 40. A resilient sealing gasket 56 ismounted in the groove 52 and protrudes slightly forwardly therefrom. Atthe forward end of the coupling 40 there is formed a generallyrectangular outwardly directed flange 57, and at the upper side of theflange there is centrally formed an upwardly extending lug 58.

The structural interrelationship of the exhaust portion of the vacuumcleaner body and the filter bag coupling is such as to permit theselective attachment or detachment of the filter bag coupling with itsfilter bag relative to the suction cleaner body. Assuming the filter bagis detached, attachment is effected, as can best be seen in FIGS. 3 and4, by positioning the lower portion of flange 57 of the filter bagcoupling in the channel formed by the lip 38 and the adjacent portion offace 26 in the general position illustrated in FIG. 4. By tilting thefilter bag coupling 40 on the pivot axis formed by its flange 57,counterclockwise to the position illustrated in FIG. 3, the coupling isin position to be secured to the body by a spring detent 60, which isdisposed so as to permit the lug 58 on the coupling 40 to snap beneaththe detent 60 and to cause firm planar engagement of the face 50 of thecoupling and the face 26 about the exhaust duct 24, causing compressionof the sealing gasket 56 to form a sealed joint between the coupling 40and the face 26 of the rear body wall 22. Assuming that the coupling 40is secured to the body, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and it is desired todetach the filter bag with its coupling, the spring detent releasefinger 62, which extends upwardly from the spring detent 60, is movedupwardly relative to FIGS. 3 and 4 until the spring detent 60 clears thecoupling lug 58 and permits the coupling to be rotated clockwise to theFIG. 4 position, in which condition the coupling 40 may be lifted off ofthe seating lip 38 to completely remove it from the body.

The foregoing constitutes a complete disclosure of the improved meansfor securing, retaining and permitting removal of the filter bagrelative to a suction cleaner body. The spring detent 60 and its releasefinger 62 form an important part of the filter bag coupling mountingmeans. They are mounted on the body in the proper position for theirdescribed functioning. They are supported and positioned by, and form apart of, a unitary spring element 64 which is mounted on the vacuumcleaner body and related to the handle H and its mounting means to alsofunction as a handle positioning and release means.

The spring element 64 comprises a bent spring strip formation whichincludes an essentially C-shaped portion 66 having its lower end of theC bent at 72 and formed into an upward extension 68 which is, in turn,horizontally and then downwardly bent to form the detent portion 60, andthen upwardly directed at an angle to form the detent release finger 62.The upper end of the C is bent downwardly and into a U-shaped hook 70.

The spring element 64 is seated and positioned on the suction cleanerbody by having its lower bend 72 seated in a notch 74 formed in arearward shelf-like upper wall 76 forming a part of the frame 10, as canclearly be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. The spring element 64 is located bythe upward extension 68 resting against a vertical shoulder 77, and anupwardly extending rib 78 and a spaced upwardly extending lug 80 formedon wall 76, which are contacted by the C-shaped portion 66. The hook 70of the spring element 64 is seated on the central portion 84 of apivotally mounted handle positioning and release rod or lever 82. Inoperation, the lever 82 is selectively adjustable to a plurality ofangular positions, but its mounting is such that in all positions itoperates to compress the spring element 64, whereby the U shaped hook 70always biases the lever 82 upwardly and counterclockwise, and the springdetent 60 is always biased downwardly. The arrangement is such that thespring detent 60 is always urged to its position illustrated in FIGS. 3and 4, but is selectively manually movable upwardly by selectivemovement of the spring release finger 62.

The handle positioning and release rod or lever 82 comprises a bentrigid round wire formation including the central U-shaped rod portion84, a pair of oppositely extending axle portions 86, which are pivotallyretained in aligned bearings formed by notches 88 and cover plates 90secured in place by fasteners 92 that also rigidly mount the handlebracket 94 in place on raised bosses 95 formed on the wall 76. The leftaxle portion 86, as viewed in FIG. 2, is bent and extended intoextension 9 6- and passes through a clearance notch 98 formed in therear wall 22 and supports a handle release pedal 100 at its rearwardend.

The handle bracket 94 comprises an integral bent sheet member havingmounting feet 102 through which the securing fasteners 92 extend to beanchored in bosses 95 to mount the bracket, a pair of parallelvertically extending side walls 104 and a connecting back wall 106.Pivotally secured to the handle bracket is the handle socket 108 whichis, in turn, rigidly secured to the lower end of the handle H. Thehandle socket 108 is a bent fiat sheet member having a split tubularupper portion for securement to the lower end of the handle H comprisingside walls 112 bent substantially to the shape of a cylinder slit alongone side. The securing pin connects the tubular portion to the handle.The handle socket also comprises a pair of spaced, parallel walls 114connected by a flat back wall 116 having a bent curved tab 118 lancedout of it. The walls 114 of the handle socket 108 nest between the walls104 of the handle bracket 94 and are pivotally secured thereto byrivet-like pivot pins 120.

On the rearward side of the handle socket walls 114 there are providedsaw teeth formations 122, comprising teeth 122a, 12212 and 1220, whichare configured and disposed so as to provide three distinct notchpositions for the central portion 84 of the handle positioning and release lever 82. The arrangement is such that the central portion 84 maybe disposed beneath a pair of aligned similar teeth 1220 on the walls114 to position the handle in the vertical position illustrated in FIG.1,; beneath aligned teeth 122b in the inclined position illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4, and beneath aligned teeth 122a in a horizontal position(not shown). In the vertical position as illustrated in FIG. 1, thehandle is rigidly held relative to the body so as to be normal thereto.In the intermediate inclined position of FIGS. 3 and 4 there is alimited amount of pivoting which is permitted by the central portion 84riding on the curved surfaces above lowermost teeth 1220. When in thehorizontal position, the handle portion 84 is disposed immediately belowthe uppermost teeth 122a and a certain amount of limited pivoting ispermitted there also on the surfaces above teeth 122]).

In order to adjust the handle relative to the body, if the handle is inthe vertical position illustrated in FIG. 1, it is necessary to depressthe foot pedal 100 to pivot the handle lever 82 counterclockwise asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 to unseat its central portion 84 from anotch formed in the handle socket Walls 144 by teeth 122c sulficientlyto clear the teeth to permit the handle and socket 108 to be pivotedclockwise downwardly. Of course, the release pedal may be released so asto dispose the central portion 84 of the lever 82 in any desired notchto achieve the desired inclination of the handle relative to the body.When the handle and its socket 108 are disposed in a substantiallyhorizontal position, in order to reposition the handle it is simplynecessary to raise it to cause it to pivot clockwise, it not beingnecessary to depress the handle release pedal, because the spring biasgenerated by the spring element 64 always biases the central portion 84of the lever 82 upwardly and counterclockwise. This bias causes thecentral portion 84 to move counterclockwise and seat successively in themiddle and lower notches in sequence as the handle is raised withoutdepressing the pedal by a ratchet-like slipping action.

In assembling the improved filter bag coupling and handle positioningmeans, the spring element 64 is forcibly positioned to its positionillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4; on being so positioned, it is stressed dueto the dimensioning and configuration of itself and its associatedparts, and thereby positively seats itself. It is stressed in mountingand generates a spring bias at all times to cause the hook 70 to urgethe central portion 84 of the lever 82 counterclockwise and to urge thespring detent 60 downwardly. It will be observed that the spring element64 performs the dual functions of constituting a spring biasing meansfor the handle positioning means and the spring detent for the filterbag retaining means.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that certain aspectsof our invention are not limited to the particular details ofconstruction of the example illustrated, and we contemplate that variousand other modifications and applications will occur to those skilled inthe art. It is, therefore, our intention that the appended claims shallcover such modifications and applications as to not depart from the truespirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is: i

1. A suction cleaner comprising an ambulatory body; a propelling handlepivotally secured to said body; an exhaust opening formed in said body;means for selectively holding and positioning said handle relative tosaid body including a handle release lever, said handle release leverbeing movable with respect to said handle, a filter including a couplingportion for securing said filter to said exhaust opening, and a singleunitary spring member for urging said handle release lever intoengagement with said handle and for detachably securing the couplingportion of said filter to said exhaust opening.

2. The suction cleaner of claim 1 wherein said handle release levercomprises a positioning and release rod portion; said filter securingmeans comprises a hollow coupling having a coupling lug; and said springmember comprises a bent spring element having a portion seated on saidbody, a hook formed at one end and seated on said rod portion, and aspring detent portion that is disposed to cooperate with said lug; theconfiguration and disposition of said spring member and its associatedparts being such as to compress said spring member in mounting it,whereby said spring member is firmly positioned and exerts a bias onsaid rod portion.

3. The suction cleaner of claim 2 wherein said spring member includes aspring detent release finger formed adjacent to said spring detentportion.

4. The suction cleaner of claim 2 wherein said spring member comprises abent strip of spring metal having a C-shaped portion, said hook isformed at one end of said C-shaped portion, and said spring detentportion is formed adjacent the other end of said C-shaped portion.

5. The suction cleaner of claim 2 wherein said handle holding andpositioning means further includes a notchforming toothed portionsmovable with said handle; said positioning and release rod portion isbiased against said toothed portions by said spring member into one ofsaid notches; and there is provided selectively operated means forretracting said rod out of said notches against the bias of said springmember to permit angular adjustment of said handle relative to saidbody.

6. The suction cleaner of claim 5 wherein said retracting meanscomprises an extension on said rod portion that supports a handlerelease foot pedal on the exterior of said body.

7. The suction cleaner of claim 6 wherein said rod portion is pivotallymounted.

8. The suction cleaner of claim 1 wherein said handle positioning meanscomprises a positioning and release rod portion pivotally mounted onsaid body; said body includes means for locating and supporting aportion of said spring member; and said spring member is stressed whenmounted in operative position and comprises a portion disposed in saidlocating and supporting means, and a hook seated on said rod portion andbiasing it to pivot into a handle positioning position.

9. The suction cleaner of claim 8 wherein said rod portion includes anextension that is accessible for selective movement to release said rodportion from its handle positioning position to permit adjustment of thehandle position.

10. A suction cleaner comprising: an ambulatory body having a propellinghandle pivotally secured to said body at the rear thereof and an exhaustport opening transversely of said body at the rear thereof; a seatinglip disposed adjacent the bottom of said exhaust port; means pivotallymounting and angularly positioning said handle including a plurality ofnotch-forming toothed portions pivotal with said handle, and apositioning and release rod pivotally secured to said body andselectively disposable in said notches to position said handle; astressed C-shaped spring member seated on said body adjacent the top ofsaid exhaust port and having a hook formed at one end thereof seated onsaid rod and biasing it toward and into said notches, and a springdetent formed at its other end and disposed adjacent the top of saidexhaust port in position to latch a filter bag coupling seated in saidlip and covering said exhaust port; and an extension of said rodarranged to be selectively manually actuated to pivot said rod againstthe bias of said spring member to move it out of said notches andcompress said spring member further, whereby said handle mounting meansis free to be angularly adjusted to change the angular position of saidhandle and toothed portions, and on release of said rod extension saidspring member biases said rod into the newly selected notch to therebyset the desired angular position of said handle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT W. MICHELL, PrimaryExaminer.

1. A SUCTION CLEANER COMPRISING AN AMBULATORY BODY; A PROPELLING HANDLEPIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID BODY; AN EXHAUST OPENING FORMED IN SAID BODY;MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY HOLDING AND POSITION SAID HANDLE RELATIVE TO SAIDBODY INCLUDING A HANDLE RELEASE LEVER, SAID HANDLE RELEASE LEVER BEINGMOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID HANDLE, A FILTER TO SAID ING A COUPLINGPORTION FOR SECURING SAID FILTER INCLUDEXHAUST OPENING, AND A SINGLEUNITARY SPRING MEMBER FOR URGING SAID HANDLE RELEASE LEVER INTOENGAGEMENT WITH SAID HANDLE AND FOR DETACHABLY SECURING THE COUPLINGPORTION OF SAID FILTER TO SAID EXHAUST OPENING.